In places where the freak out is in operation, don't depend on Washington to fix it. It will take parents and administrators with backbones to get kids back in classrooms.
I know you really like the words “freak out,” but even your opening salvo admitted administrators’ caution is understandable. And you spend half the article admitting the seriousness of the last two years, and the virus itself. You don’t even take the open door of saying omicron appears to be less serious of a threat than believed. Instead you throw your own political barbs at the CDC and feds, bring up unions in a political manner, while instead talking much more about inconvenience to parents.
I suggest writing solutions instead of just accusing reasonable people of “freak outs.” It’s annoying to have virtual school again for now, including the two largest districts in my midwestern state. But they’re not “freaking out.” They’re erring in the side of caution, and leading people who have different concerns and demands than you do.
I’m so tired of division. Instead of proposing alternative solutions, we denigrate those who don’t perfectly align with us, and create a malaise of neighborly hatred. This only adds to it. 🤦🏻♂️
Nowhere did I say I hate anyone for going virtual. I do believe administrators have made a politically motivated decision however. The CDC and federal guidance does not align with their decision. It will take parents pressure to change this. “Caution” is a word we need to examine. It’s more cautious to get kids back in school if your paying attention to the social damage that occurred the last 2 years. Veteran teachers report much more anti social and aggressive behavior from kids and overall worse (or more unequal) test results. If we err on the side of caution it should be on behalf of kids. Just because I understand the freakout doesn’t mean I agree with it.
In Washington State, where the state has been very conservative/cautious on COVID, there hasn't even been talk of going back to virtual/hybrid learning. As far as I know all K-12 schools are in-person full time, even with Omicron surging. The difficulty is staff shortages - if you have 5-6 staff out sick each day from each school in my district, there aren't enough subs to cover that, so buildings are scrambling to cover classes with other staff.
I know you really like the words “freak out,” but even your opening salvo admitted administrators’ caution is understandable. And you spend half the article admitting the seriousness of the last two years, and the virus itself. You don’t even take the open door of saying omicron appears to be less serious of a threat than believed. Instead you throw your own political barbs at the CDC and feds, bring up unions in a political manner, while instead talking much more about inconvenience to parents.
I suggest writing solutions instead of just accusing reasonable people of “freak outs.” It’s annoying to have virtual school again for now, including the two largest districts in my midwestern state. But they’re not “freaking out.” They’re erring in the side of caution, and leading people who have different concerns and demands than you do.
I’m so tired of division. Instead of proposing alternative solutions, we denigrate those who don’t perfectly align with us, and create a malaise of neighborly hatred. This only adds to it. 🤦🏻♂️
Nowhere did I say I hate anyone for going virtual. I do believe administrators have made a politically motivated decision however. The CDC and federal guidance does not align with their decision. It will take parents pressure to change this. “Caution” is a word we need to examine. It’s more cautious to get kids back in school if your paying attention to the social damage that occurred the last 2 years. Veteran teachers report much more anti social and aggressive behavior from kids and overall worse (or more unequal) test results. If we err on the side of caution it should be on behalf of kids. Just because I understand the freakout doesn’t mean I agree with it.
Nowhere did I claim you said you “hate anyone for going virtual.”
There’s no “freak out.” Just a lot of barstool whining, including in this article.
In Washington State, where the state has been very conservative/cautious on COVID, there hasn't even been talk of going back to virtual/hybrid learning. As far as I know all K-12 schools are in-person full time, even with Omicron surging. The difficulty is staff shortages - if you have 5-6 staff out sick each day from each school in my district, there aren't enough subs to cover that, so buildings are scrambling to cover classes with other staff.
This article explains how the vast majority of schools in the U.S. are in person. https://wapo.st/3JDThXz